1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a parking brake equalizer, and more particularly to an equalizer which facilitates an operation to fix therein output members connected to braking devices of a vehicle, and which satisfactorily prevents removal of the output members therefrom and generation of a noise.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
There is known a parking brake equalizer provided with a pair of engaging portions which are to be held in engagement with a pair of output members connected to braking devices of right and left wheels and which are disposed symmetrically on opposite sides of an input portion, such that the braking devices are activated, when the parking brake equalizer is caused to pull the pair of output members while being rockable about the input portion as a fulcrum, upon application of a tensile force to the input portion for activating a parking brake. As an example of such an equalizer, Patent Document 1 discloses a device constituted principally by a metallic main body which includes a pair of mutually parallel side plates and a back plate connecting the side plates, so as to have a substantially U shape. In the disclosed device, output members (cable ends) are held in engagement with engaging portions which are provided in respective opposite side portions of the main body, and each of the output members is prevented from being removed by a spring-steel made stopper which is attached to the main body.
Patent Document 1: JP-H2-92759A
However, in the conventional equalizer, since the output members have to be made to approach the main body from respective opposite sides of the main body, so as to be brought into engagement with the respective engaging portions, it is not necessarily easy to carry out an operation to bring the output members into engagement with the respective engaging portions. Further, in the conventional equalizer, there is a risk that a noise could be generated by contact between each output member and the stopper which are made of metallic materials during running of vehicle.
The present invention was made in the light of the background art discussed above. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an equalizer which facilitates an operation to fix output members therein, and which satisfactorily prevents removal of the output members therefrom and generation of a noise.